Ace of Spades
by ENDgameProductions
Summary: 4 years after the Lone Wanderer's adventures in the Capital Wasteland, he searches to the question of where he came Goodsprings a Courier is bound,tied and knocked out. Their destines intertwined a new adventure begins. R
1. 4 Years Later

**This is my first fanfic so please read and review. Please let me know if there are any grammar or spelling mistakes. Enjoy!**

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Jay woke to the sound of knocking on his door. He thought nothing of it and fell back to sleep. He was used to it, however, as he was a hero in the Capital Wasteland. All of his exploits were known far and wide thanks to Three Dog, the disc jockey of Galaxy News Radio. It did not help Jay as he was constantly visited by wastelanders looking for the "Lone Wanderer." The knocking turned to banging and he shot up in his bed.

"What is it now!" yelled Jay, brushing the jet black hair out of his eyes. He quickly ran down the stairs and to the door. He threw open the door and was greeted by a Brotherhood of Steel Initiate.

"Sentinel Stahl!" the Initiate said, quickly snapping into attention. "Elder Lyons and Scribe Rothchild would like to see you at the Citadel, right away, sir!"

"What's it about?" Jay asked quickly.

"Scribe Rothchild said it was of upmost importance to you, sir," he explained.

"Right, tell them I'll be there right away. Oh, and be careful of Raiders, they've been all over lately."

"Will do, sir!"

And the Initiate left without another word. Jay felt relieved, as it was the news he had been waiting six months for.

"What was that all about?" asked Sarah Lyons, walking down the stairs, slowly. She was wearing one of Jay's shirts, which looked oversized on her.

"You remember," answered Jay, "it's about how Doc Li overheard my parents talking about Vault 21, hopefully Rothchild finally found the damn place."

"Well, now I do," she grinned, kissed him lightly on the cheek and continued, "he said that it didn't seem like there was a Vault 21 in the area right?"

"Yeah, but I wish there was though. It would make things a whole lot easier."

"Be glad that he found it though, you've seemed so bored in the last few months."

"That's because-" he suddenly remembered that Fawkes went north to the Commonwealth with Dr. Li after the fall of the Enclave, Jericho and Clover went to the Pitt, Butch and Sergeant RL-3 were off exploring in the wasteland, and Charon was keeping Sydney in line at Underworld. Jay never really thought about it but he truly missed all of them, including Jericho, even after all the times they held guns at each other's throats.

"Because?" said Sarah, filling a bowl with Sugar Bombs.

"I don't know actually." He answered. "Where's Dogmeat? He needs breakfast also."

"He was here earlier, maybe you should check with Wadsworth."

"Alright," Jay said. He quickly ran up the stairs to find Dogmeat chewing on one of Wadsworth's bulbs.

"Master Stahl, I ask much of you to keep Dogmeat in line," said Wadsworth.

"And I have to ask you to cope with it, Wadsworth," he answered, "he really loves your bulbs, I'm even considering taking it off for him, and we both know how that went last time with the other Mr. Handy, right?"

"Of course Master, I will take note of that for later."

"Right, come on, boy!" Dogmeat immediately stopped and followed his master down the stairs.

"There he is!" said Sarah, quickly taking out Dogmeat's bowl and filling it with food.

"I need to get him something to chew on," Jay explained, "Wadsworth's bulbs can't take much more and I'll need to replace them soon. And it's hard salvaging for light bulbs that aren't burned out or so irradiated that they're about to explode."

"I'll ask Moira later," she answered, "but right now you have to eat, the drive from here to the Citadel isn't an easy one, and knowing you you'll be twice as late as you normally are."

"Oh, alright." Jay quickly ate his bowl of Sugar Bombs and ran back up the stairs. He grabbed his custom made Ranger armor and slipped it on. It was the armor that Reilly had given him but it was painted jet black with blue streaks. Then he went to grab his weapons from his locker. He grabbed his father's 10mm pistol, Ol' Painless, and his combat shotgun.

"Jay!" called Sarah "you ready yet? You're already late enough as it is."

"Crap," he murmured. He ran down the stairs, kissed Sarah quickly, and bolted out the front door. The Megaton entrance slid open slowly, while Jay impatiently waited for them.

"Come on!" he thought. The entrance was finally open and he ran out. He greeted Crazy Wolfgang and continued until he found a motorcycle perched by a rock. Jay quickly jumpstarted it and began the drive to the Citadel. The engine roared loudly and he felt the familiar rumbling beneath him. Jay then sped all the way through the D.C. ruins. He arrived at the Citadel and the Brotherhood welcomed him.

"Shit!" Jay thought, "I'm so late! A fucking great idea my ass! Damn it, Moira!"

"Sentinel Stahl," said Elder Lyons, patiently.

"Sorry for being late," he thought for a moment, "again."

"Do not worry, you are always welcome to the Citadel be it early or late."

"Thank you, Elder. Now about the news-"

"Yes, now come with me, we have much to discuss," said Elder Lyons. Elder Lyons led the way to the Citadel Lab. Jay followed quickly, he felt uneasy as Elder Lyons would take things slowly usually.

"Scribe Rothchild!," Elder Lyons called, "Sentinel Stahl has arrived."

"On time as usual?" answered Scribe Rothchild, looking weary. "Come with me, Sentinel."

"Yessir," Jay said sarcastically.

"As you have asked of me, I have discovered the location of Vault 21."

"That's great news! I'll have to celebrate later-"

"There is only one problem though."

"And it's probably bad isn't it?"

"Vault 21 is located in the Mojave Desert, 2,457.32 miles from here."

"Fuck, well there goes the motorcycle plan. What about a Vertibird?"

"Absolutely not! I will not give up one of the very few Vertibirds that we have to an irrelevant quest!"

"Rothchild, I am giving the Sentinel permission to use a Vertibird despite your protests," snapped Elder Lyons.

"Yes, Elder," responded Rothchild, sourly.

"So we have a deal then?" Jay asked.

"I suppose so," answered Rothchild, shaking Jay's hand.


	2. A Rigged Game

**Sorry this one's super short. It's only 270 words. But the 3rd chapter should be up already. **

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Rosa opened her eyes slowly.

"Fuck, I feel like I drank too much again," she thought. She quickly looked up and realized that she was tied up.

"Hey whatever I did I'm sorry," she said lightly, "I get really crazy when I'm drunk, y'know?"

"Shut up!" said a rough, grizzly voice. Rosa was then hit in the back of the head with a shovel.

"What the fuck, man! What'd I ever do to you!" she yelled.

"Hey Khan, quit it save a little bit of fight in this one," said another voice, this one much smoother and somewhat friendlier. She looked up and saw that the voice came from a man in a checkered suit, holding a chip of some sort, admiring it in the moonlight ,and all while smoking.

"Hey Chessboard, mind helping me outta this?" Rosa asked.

"Time to cash out," said the man in the checkered suit, putting out his cigar.

"Will you get it over with?" said the grizzled voice man.

"Maybe Khans kill people without looking them in the face, but I ain't a fink, dig?" said Chessboard as Rosa nicknamed him. "You've made your last delivery kid. Sorry you got twisted up in the seam." He pulled out a gun; Rosa could make out an outline of a woman on the grip of it. "From where you're kneeling it must seem like an 18-karat run of bad luck. Truth is," he paused, "the game was rigged from the start." He pulled the trigger. Rosa saw a flash and everything went black.


	3. Goodbyes and Hellos

**This chapter seems to drag on, but please bear with me. I am setting things up in this chapter. Again please let me know if there are any spelling/grammar mistakes. Enjoy!**_

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One day earlier…

Jay, Sarah, and Dogmeat made their way to the Citadel. Sarah had her power armor on, and Jay had his backpack on with all of the things he would need. Jay had returned the motorcycle to Moira prior to yesterday's event. Dogmeat happily walked alongside his master. Jay hadn't spoken to Sarah since last night in which the conversation in question was on one subject.

"So that's it then?" Sarah asked, "You're just going to leave like that?"

"Listen Sarah," Jay answered, "It's not like that. I just need to find out where I'm actually from. I thought I did at first but then Doc Li explained it."

"I know you want to, but I'm just scared of something, Jay. Remember when you went to Maryland? You came back looking like you went to Hell and back. You even had a part of your brain removed for Christ's sake!"

"It's not really easy to forget that kind of stuff, Sarah. But it happened. I promise I'll come back in one piece, alright?"

"I'm holding you to that promise then."

Jay then kissed her passionately and slowly, and she did the same. They then spent the rest of the night in each other's company. He held her closely and she could feel all the scars he had obtained from the wasteland, including the one when they first met. She remembered it almost perfectly.

_

* * *

_

Four years earlier….

She was out with Lyon's Pride heading to the GNR building in D.C. She heard super mutants in the distance, trying to flank them she thought. It wasn't until she heard gunshots that she realized that it was another wastelander that got screwed over. Initiate Reddin then sped off to help and the Pride had no other choice but to go after her. The super mutants were closing in on the local but he seemed ready for it as he pumped one of their faces full of lead. She thought he had it under control until he grabbed his shoulder in pain, blood soaking his armored jumpsuit. She was about to pull the trigger when the rest of the Pride had beaten her to it and fired at the super mutant.

Shocked, the local dropped his weapon, got on his knees, and put his hands behind his head in seconds.

"What is he doing?" said Lyons.

"I dunno," answered Initiate Reddin, "but maybe we should go and help him out a bit more."

"And how do you propose that, Initiate?" questioned Paladin Vargas.

"Maybe we should start by fixing that wound of his?" she answered.

"Alright then Initiate since it was your idea, you go and do it," said Paladin Vargas, smugly.

"Shoulda seen that one coming," Reddin then grabbed her medical supplies and went off to help the wastelander.

"What is a local doing this deep in D.C.?" Sarah thought. She bit her lip and made a mental note to ask later on. Reddin came back seconds later with the local and seemed quite happy.

"Sentinel you really need to hear why he's so deep in D.C." said Initiate Reddin.

"Good that saves me the trouble of asking why later," she thought. "So, _local_, what are you doing down here? This is a restricted area-"

He cut her off almost immediately.

"I'm looking for a guy named Three Dog, Galaxy News Radio?" he asked, "Ring any bells at all?"

Sarah was quite surprised to see how quickly he regained composure after almost dying. For the first time she felt vulnerable. Nonetheless, she snapped back to being Sentinel Lyons.

"Yes, and we actually are heading there right now-"

He cut her off again.

"Can I come with you?"

"Feel free to tag along, just don't get shot," she answered.

"Alright!" he said, happily.

* * *

Sarah never forgot that moment. Jay was the first one to completely knock her off her feet and he didn't even know it yet.

"I love you," Jay whispered.

"Love you, to," she answered.

Dogmeat whined at Jay, and he knew exactly what to do. He grabbed Sarah's hand and pulled her closer. They both looked at each other, with no need for words, they continued on. Sarah squeezed his hand as they reached the Citadel walls.

"Well," Jay broke the silence, "this is it. Time to find out where I'm from."

"Yep," she answered, quietly, "let's go." The Citadel entrance opened, and the trio walked inside.

"Wait, what?" thought Jay, as everyone he had met in his previous adventures in the Capital Wasteland were all there.

"We had come to see you off, my friend!" explained Fawkes, a friendly super mutant that Jay released from his cell in Vault 87.

"Hey listen," said Butch, "you're still part of the Tunnel Snakes. Spread the word about us alright?"

"Yeah," interrupted Sydney, "don't think you can leave and not say goodbye."

"Who told you?" Jay asked. Fawkes held up a radio and Three Dog's booming voice came out.

"This is it, children! 101 aka The Lone Wanderer is heading out to see the country! Now I know that a whole bunch of you are probably upset over the news, but hey, the Capital Wasteland is a better place now because of him. Talon Company hightailed it out of here, the Enclave is nowhere to be found, and the Raiders are so disorganized they can't tell what's what around here anymore. Anyway, as I was saying, he's heading to wonderful New Vegas, baby! Ring A Ding-Ding, kiddies! He's off to find where it was that he came from, thank God that it wasn't that godforsaken hole in the ground called Vault 101. This one's for you, 101, take care and stay safe." And _I Don't Want to Set The World On Fire _by _The Ink Spots_ came on.

"Three Dog has basically told everyone in the wasteland," Clover giggled, sticking out her tongue, "no room for privacy, huh?"

"And because you somehow managed to get a signal to that alien ship," explained Dr. Li, "He's been broadcasting all over the East Coast."

"That makes sense," he thought. "Well I'm really happy that you all came here and I really wish I could spend a bit more time here, but-" Sarah pulled her hand away from his. "But, I really have to go," Jay finished quietly. He put his arms around her and held her close.

"I still don't want you to go," she whispered.

"Just for a couple of months, sweetheart," he said, "I'll be back before you know it. I promise." She looked up and pecked him on the cheek.

"Right where's the Vertibird?" he asked, loosening his embrace but still held Sarah close. Immediately they heard the sound of its engine. It landed slowly, but loudly. Almost immediately Dogmeat jumped in and perched himself at the door.

"Hey, it looks like he wants to go also," Clover giggled.

Jay looked at Sarah and she simply nodded.

"Alright so I guess it's time to go," Jay said, sadly.

"Hey when you come back," Sydney interrupted, "drinks are on me."

"I have many stories to share with you, my friend," said Fawkes, "please return to us as you have left."

"If you find anything that has to do with your family let us know immediately," Dr. Li snapped.

"Come back when you're a little more fun," Clover jeered.

"Hey, _asshole!_" said Jericho as he lit up a cigarette. He walked up to Jay and put a gun to his head. Jay did the same and soon everyone had a weapon raised. Jericho stared at Jay with murderous intent, but soon they both began to laugh.

"For old times' sake," they both thought. Jericho lowered his weapon and shook Jay's hand. Everyone holstered their weapons, confused.

"Sentinel Stahl!" called the pilot, "we've wasted too much time already. Let's go!"

"Ok, sorry!" Jay called, "I guess this is goodbye, everyone." They all nodded quietly and watched as he and Sarah got into the Vertibird. Sarah let her head fall on his shoulder and quickly fell asleep as they took off.

"How long is the flight?" he asked.

"Quite a bit, sir," answered the pilot, "it's about 4 hours, so get some sleep while you're at it."

"Great," he thought. Jay fell asleep fast, and he dreamed of a bull and a bear fighting over a large structure. "A dam? What would a bear and a bull do with a dam?" His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound of the engines stopping. Sarah was already up, getting Jay's backpack out from under his seat. She handed it to him and kissed him, lovingly, and he did the same.

"Goodbye," she said quietly.

"I promise, I'll come back in one piece ok?" Jay answered. She nodded and helped him out of the Vertibird. "See anything?"

"I see a town off in the distance, try heading there."

"I will, bye sweetheart," he kissed her again.

"Bye," she said. Sarah quickly went back to the Vertibird and Dogmeat jumped out.

"Looks like it's just you and me again," he thought as he watched the Vertibird fly away. Dogmeat barked happily as they began to walk toward the town. "Damn it, the only thing I can actually see is a big tower in the distance. Bet the locals can see it for miles." He turned on his Pipboy light and it illuminated the area around them. They found the road quickly and continued. They reached the town but it was completely dark. "Guess no one's home," he thought. Then he heard voices coming from a large hill ahead of the town. He snuck up there and heard them talk.

"You got what you were after," said a rough, grizzly voice, "so pay up."

"You're crying in the rain, pal'ee," said a much smoother voice.

"Look who's waking up over here!" said another voice.

"Hey Chessboard," said another voice, this time a woman's, "Mind helping me outta this?"

"Time to cash out," said the smooth voiced man.

"Will you get it over with?" asked the grizzled voice.

"Maybe Khans kill people without looking them in the face," interrupted Chessboard as Jay heard it, "But I ain't a fink, dig? You've made your last delivery kid. Sorry you got twisted up in the seam. From where you're kneeling it must seem like an 18-karat run of bad luck. Truth is, the game was rigged from the start." Then Jay heard two gunshots.

"Shit!" Jay thought. He raised his pistol and ran up firing. He got one man in the back but the man continued to run. "Fucking a'! I should've moved faster!" he though as he ran to the wounded figure on the ground. It was the woman who spoke earlier; she had two bullet holes in her forehead. "Fuck! Gotta act fast!" as he pulled out Med-X and a Stimpak from his pack. He quickly injected it into her and felt something metal touch his shoulder. Jay then grabbed his combat knife and sliced at the air where it came from, but whatever it was simply moved out of the way.

"Whoa, hold it partner!" said the strange looking robot, "C'mon let's get her into town before it gets worse." Jay didn't ask questions and hoisted her onto his shoulder. They reached a house and met a man named Doc Mitchell who offered Jay to sleep on the couch. He accepted and fell asleep, exhausted.


	4. Rosa Velasquez

**Read and review. Tell me about grammar/spelling. Enjoy.**

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Jay awoke startled, with Dogmeat licking his face as he got up. He had dreamed of the bull and the bear again. This time however the bull was victorious and the bear, wounded, went westward. Jay pondered what it all meant and he made a mental note of it for later. He grabbed his pack and took everything out. He grabbed his old weathered 10mm pistol, a laser pistol, courtesy of Colonel Autumn, and Ol' Painless. He noticed that they had packed his Experimental MIRV, taken apart to decrease the weight. He also found a small pack of mini nukes. And last but not least his armored Vault 101 jumpsuit.

"Why'd they pack all of this?" he thought, "It's not like I need it, besides I have my trusty Ranger armor. Hmph. I guess I'll just keep it just in case." Suddenly remembering the previous night's events he sprinted to the room where the woman was being kept.

"Is she alright, Doc?" Jay asked.

"She's stable, but I don't think she should be-" Doc Mitchell was interrupted as the woman slowly got up. "Hey don't jerk around too much, let's take this slowly. Can you tell me your name?"

* * *

"My name?" Rosa said, thinking hard. "Wait, what's my name! Fuck!" she thought, "What the hell happened last night? Where's Chessboard and those other people?" It all came back to her at once and she grabbed her head in pain. "My name i-it's Rosa Velasquez. What happened last night?"

"Let's just say you got mixed up in a bit of trouble," answered a man in black and blue combat armor, grabbing her arm to help her up. Rosa didn't recognize either one of them but she was thankful nonetheless. The man that helped her up had jet black air and pure blue eyes. His tone was warm, welcoming even, and was young also. But he looked like a person who had seen too much for just one. The other man, who was bald and had a gray moustache, was known as Doc Mitchell according to the younger man.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Jim Stahl," he answered, "Everyone calls me Jay though."

"Ok then, _Jim_," Rosa teased, "So what happened after I _died_?"

"I'll explain later, but right now I think you should go with Doc Mitchell."

"Um, ok," she answered, "OK Doc what is it that I need to do?"

"I just need you to answer a few questions. Now when I say a word you say the first thing that pops into your mind. Dog."

"Cat."

"House."

"Shelter."

"Bandit."

"Reasonable."

"Now I need you to hear some phrases and agree or disagree with them."

"OK Doc."

"Conflict just isn't my nature."

"No opinion."

"I ain't given on others to rely on for support."

"Umm, disagree?"

"I'm slow to embrace new ideas"

"Absolutely disagree."

"Now I want you to look at some pictures and say what you see."

"Hmm. A mushroom cloud, an oozing wound, and uhm, two ninja's high fiving!"

"Well that's all she wrote, you'll be free to go in a second I just need to get your medical history. Not that I expect to find that you have a family history of getting shot in the head."

"Well, my family has quick trigger fingers and are good natured folk, I think."

"Alright, now that everything is in order, I'll just give you some clothes. Don't want you running around naked, do we?"

Rosa blushed slightly, as she hadn't noticed that she was in her undergarments.

"Here," said Doc Mitchell, as he handed her a blue jumpsuit that had 21 printed in yellow on the back, and a PipBoy 3000 "this was my wife's; you both were about the same size." Rosa then walked out of the room.

* * *

"Wait," Jay interrupted, "did you live in Vault 21? If so where is it?"

"I did at a time, it's in the Strip, but it wouldn't do you much good though, as much of it has been cemented," Doc Mitchell answered quietly.

"Damn," he thought, "Wait, cemented?"

Rosa walked into the room, wearing the bright blue jumpsuit. It fit her easily, but she felt so out of place in the jumpsuit. And the PipBoy made her arm feel very uncomfortable. "I'll take it off every now and then," she thought.

"Well, looks like it fits you pretty well," said Jay, "Doc Mitchell, we'll be on our way now. Thank you for your help." He looked at Rosa, and finally noticed her features. She had jet green eyes ,light brown hair, which was swept to the side, a pretty face, and she had a Hispanic air around her . Jay made a mental note to ask her where she was from and how she got mixed up in the previous nights events.

"Oh, and I also found a few things with you, Ms. Velasquez," said Doc Mitchell, handing her a necklace with a strange symbol on it, and a small piece of paper. "And you may want to check the saloon and ask around town about the men who shot you."

"Hey, it's my delivery order!" she thought, "This should point me in the right direction."

"One last question," Doc Mitchell called, "are you two going to be traveling together?"

"Well I dunno," they both said in unison. Rosa blushed and Jay continued.

"I know how to fight but I have no idea where to go."

"I guess that makes two of us," Rosa said quietly.

"Then I guess you both have an arrangement then?" asked Doc Mitchell.

"I guess," answered Jay. "Well let's get going then, Rosa," he grinned. She nodded and they were both out the door, into a world of post-apocalyptia and new adventures.


	5. Back In The Saddle

**Thanks to insomnia, I decided to finish this chapter. Read and review. Spellinng/ grammar. Enjoy!**

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Rosa and Jay made their way to the saloon that Doc Mitchell mentioned. They asked each other the questions that had been on their mind since they met.

"So where are you from?" Rosa asked.

"Nowhere near here," Jay answered.

"I meant an actual location not a general area."

"Capital Wasteland. Really far from here as you can tell."

"Right, so what happened after I got shot last night?"

"Well, I ran up there shooting and most of them were already gone. Except for one, I nailed him in the back twice and he didn't go down."

"Damn, so that means Chessboard got away?

"I guess you could say that."

"Alright then."

"Where are you from, Rosa?"

She thought for a second. Rosa couldn't remember where she came from.

"Fuck!" she thought. "I don't remember actually," she answered.

"Ok, do you remember how you got mixed up in last night's event?"

"All I can remember is that he had a poker chip, it was platinum, and it was really important to them, I guess."

"Why would they need a poker chip?"

"I don't know, and my head is starting to hurt from all the questions you're asking me."

"Sorry."

"Pay for the headache meds and it'll be ok."

They both laughed for a short while and they reached the saloon. The lights were dim, and a radio was playing in the background. There was a jukebox, but it didn't seem like it was used at all. A woman leaned against a billiard table. She had a dog also, and was scratching behind its ear fondly. The dog growled. Then Dogmeat growled.

"Cheyenne, stay," the woman said quietly, "don't worry she won't bite unless you're a gecko or sumthin'."

"Well, this guy here is a little bit hard to control," Jay responded, holding Dogmeat in a bear hug.

"And his name would be?" she asked, "Where's my manners I never introduced myself. Name's Sunny Smiles." She held her hand out to shake.

"Dogmeat, my name's Jay, and this is Rosa."

"Good to meet you, Jay, Rosa, Dogmeat." Sunny then petted Dogmeat on the head, and he licked her hand in approval.

"Right now that we know all each other," Rosa interrupted, "do you know anything about the men who shot me?

"Oh so you're the kid that Doc Mitchell was patching up," said Sunny, "Don't know much about him. He seemed like a city-slicker at best, and he also was in a rush when he first got here. You should check in with Trudy, she's like the town mom, she should know more."

"Right, thank you Sunny." Rosa continued to the bar and spoke to the bartender.

"Do you know where a woman named Trudy is?" she asked.

"Well," the woman answered, "looks like you found me."

"Oh, ok," Rosa giggled, "do you know anything about the men who shot me?"

"Can't say much. He was a city-slicker who didn't really have any respect for anyone. I overheard them talking about heading to the Strip though."

"Thank you for that, Trudy. What is the quickest route to the Strip?"

"Well you'll want to avoid I-15; caravans say that the route is just swarming with critters that'll attack if you look at 'em. Then there's Black Mountain people have been disappearing up there lately. The safest route to the Strip is heading down to Primm, just south of here. It takes a lot longer, but you'll be a bit safer."

"Ok. Thank you again Trudy," Rosa was interrupted by a door slamming. A dark colored man in what looked like police armor and a blue shirt underneath had walked in.

"Where the hell is Ringo?" the man demanded.

"Never seen him," Trudy answered.

"I know you're lying! Now you have one more chance to tell me where he is!"

"Well you better start looking, Cobb. Last I heard he's already well on his way back to Crimson Caravan." The man named Cobb raised his middle finger at Trudy. The only thing that Rosa saw next was Jay's fist connecting with Cobb's lower jaw.

"Ever learn manners, _asshole_?" he asked calmly.

"You know who you just hit!" Cobb asked, "You just hit Joe _Fuckin_' Cobb! I'll be back!"

"Don't be late," Jay said.

"What was that all about Trudy?" asked Rosa.

"Just some trader," Trudy answered, "got mixed up in a little of bad business with some Powder Gangers."

"What the hell are Powder Gangers?" Jay interrupted.

"Convicts that escaped from the prison a little south of here," Trudy continued, "The NCR brought 'em here to work in the mines. Turns out it isn't the best idea to give convicted criminals explosives."

"Who are the NCR?" asked Rosa. "Dumbass move on their part though."

"They're just about the closest thing to a government we see today. If you ask me I think they're trying too hard. The Mojave is a big place and they already have Baja to worry about. They're spread too thin; it'll all fall apart if they aren't careful."

"Thanks for the info, Trudy," Jay interrupted again, "now what can we do to help you with your Powder Ganger problem?"

"Didn't think you wanted to help really," Trudy said surprised, "well if you really want to help I suggest you get Ringo. Then you can talk to Sunny Smiles to see if she would help out. You could also get medical supplies from Doc Mitchell, dynamite from Easy Pete, and weapons and armor from Chet. And if you could fix my radio I'll give you some caps and a discount. With the townsfolk's support of course."

"Right thanks again," Rosa said, "_Jim_ and me will get right on it."


	6. Ghost Town Gunfight

**Ahh! Finally summer! I can actually work on these now haha. Right so we left off at the Goodsprings gunfight!**

* * *

Rosa left to get the supplies from the town, while Jay stayed and tried to fix Trudy's radio.

"It looks just fine on the outside," said Trudy, "it's just that something got jacked up inside it."

"Ok," Jay said quietly. "Alright it should work fine now."

"Wow, that was pretty quick," she said surprised, handing him a bag of caps. "Where'd you learn how to fix stuff up like that?"

"I had plenty of practice," Jay answered, remembering when he used an improvised dart gun made out of a paint gun.

"Well, I'm thankful for that. That's for sure. I'll tell the townsfolk to help out with the Powder Ganger problem. Go and check on Rosa she's probably made a lot of progress by now."

"Thanks Trudy." He was almost out the door when Sunny stopped him.

"Are you planning on taking on Cobb and his Powder Gangers?" she asked.

"Well, yeah if you-" he was interrupted.

"Say no more I'm in."

"Ok then." He walked out of the saloon and to the store.

* * *

"Listen, if you don't help out with the Powder Gangers will burn your store down," Rosa said politely.

"Oh, fine," said Chet, sourly, "just have everyone get the supplies before closing time." He handed her a 9mm pistol and leather armor.

"Thank you, _Chet_," she said. "What an asshole," she thought. She opened the door and ran into Jay.

"Did you get the supplies?" Jay asked.

"Yep, just need to get the medical supplies."

"Right, I'll go get Ringo, and you should go grab the medical supplies."

"Ok I'll meet you in front of the gas station."

* * *

Joe Cobb rubbed his jaw, still feeling the punch that he recieved in Goodsprings.

"Fuckin' asshole," he thought, "he'll regret that."

"Hey boss!" a Powder Ganger called, "What're we gonna do about that town?"

"Burn it to Hell," Cobb answered. The Powder Gangers cheered and began preparations for the attack.

* * *

"Thanks, Doc," Rosa said walking out of Doc Mitchell's home. She saw Sunny sprint up the hill and knew what was going on. The Powder Gangers had arrived.

"Fuck," she thought, "Best hurry and set up by the saloon."

* * *

"Hey you might wanna put that gun away," said Jay, as he had come face to face with Ringo.

"Sorry, man," he replied, "just caught me off guard is all. Wanna play a game of Caravan?" Sunny burst through the door, interrupting Ringo as he had beaten Jay in the short game.

"No time, boys," she said, "Powder Gangers are here and it looks like there's at least 15 of 'em."

"Shit," Jay replied, "C'mon, lets go." And the three of them ran out the door to the saloon.

"Where the Hell were you!" Rosa demanded.

"I lost," replied Jay, "what's the plan?"

"Well," she explained, "Two settlers are on the roof of the saloon ready to make it rain with dynamite. Then Victor, the Securi-droid or whatever it's called, should be helping out, but I haven't seen him. And then we all try to take 'em out from long distance."

"I don't think it's gonna be that easy," Jay thought, "Right I have an idea." Jay took out Ol' Painless and looked down the sight.

"He's kinda _weird_," Sunny said quietly, loading her varmint rifle.

"I know," Rosa answered, "but then again he's from a weird place."

"Shhh," Ringo whispered, "do you hear that?" They listened closely and began to hear footsteps and laughing in the distance.

"Alright," said Sunny, "everyone get ready!"

* * *

"Why the fuck are you _laughing_?" yelled Cobb.

"Loosen up, boss," said a Powder Ganger, "this'll be easy, it ain't like we're going up against NCR or something."

"Shut up!" Cobb said, slapping the Powder Ganger in the back of his head. They had reached Goodsprings and no one was to be found. "To fuckin' quiet," he thought.

"FIRE!" Trudy yelled. Bullets rained down on the group of Powder Gangers.

"FUCK!" Cobb screamed. He then heard a familiar sound, the sound of dynamite being lit. He looked down and it had landed next to him. There was a big explosion. Soon blood and body parts began to fall from the air. The town of Goodsprings cheered for the threat had ended. At least for now.

* * *

Most of the townsfolk were gathered at the saloon, reveling in their victory over Joe Cobb's gang.

"OK, so now that the towns problems are gone," Rosa said to Jay, "We should work on finding Chessboard."

"I agree," Jay said, sipping a bottle of scotch, "we'll leave tomorrow morning."

"Alright!" Rosa said gleefully, finishing her 20th glass of beer.

* * *

**Meanwhile in the swamps of Maryland...**

"PINEAPPLES! RUUUUNNN!" said a disfigured local.

"Shut the fuck up," Sarah Lyons whispered, carefully pulling the trigger of her rifle. The local's head exploded into a bloody mist. She got up slowly, and lifted her Confederate hat above her forehead. Sarah, instead of her normal Brotherhood power armor, was wearing a button up shirt, jeans and a leather jacket. She felt out of place without her power armor, but she did enjoy getting out of it. Her headset rang and she pressed on it lightly.

"Sarah," said Elder Lyons, "we need you at the Citadel for we have news to discuss. Important news."

"How important?" she asked.

"It's about the Brotherhood chapter's in the west," he said quietly.

"Right, I'll be there in an hour," Sarah answered placing her rifle back into it's holster. She walked slowly, and let her thoughts cloud her mind.

* * *

**Back in the Mojave Desert...**

Rosa woke up on a booth at the saloon, while Jay sat on the opposite side with two bags packed next to him.

"Ughh," Rosa groaned, and slowly got up, "I feel like shit right now."

"That's what you get for drinking so much," Jay said, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Shut up!" Rosa yelled, "You drank just as much as I did."

"One bottle?" he said, "You had at least thirty two."

"Heh, I've had a lot more than that!" she said proudly.

"Your liver is gonna fail if you keep drinking," Jay said quietly. Rosa looked as if she was about to say something then closed her mouth immediately. "Well if you're feeling up to it, we gotta leave soon, remember?"

"Yeah, I know," Rosa said rubbing her eyes. She got up, stretched, and grabbed a bag. Both of her arms fell under the weight of the bag. "What did you put in here!"

"Oh, that'll be the guns, grenades, and everything heavy," Jay laughed, "here I'll take it." He took the bag from her and handed her the other, which had extra clothes and food. "Ready now?"

"Of course," she answered happily.


	7. New Faces, New Choices, New Bruises

**Original characters introduced in this chapter! Yay... And more on what's happening in the Capital Wasteland. Read & Review. And a special thanks to DesertStar87 for being my first review ever!**

**DesertStar87: Don't worry Cass will be introduced very, very soon. And I agree with you on Cass and Rosa, that'd give me an excuse for a drinking contest!**

* * *

**On the road to Primm...**

"I'm really not feeling good, Jay," Rosa said, clutching her stomach.

"C'mon just a few more minutes then we'll be there," Jay apologized.

"No, I feel like I'm about to puke," she said sourly, "Go on ahead, I'll catch up."

"Ugh," he said disgusted but amused, "Alright." He continued along the road with Dogmeat, happily walking beside him. Dogmeat started to growl. "What is it boy?" Jay asked. A dark figure reached around him and covered Jay's mouth. Dogmeat began to bark, but the man tossed him a treat to get him to be silent. The man took both of them behind a large rock near a campfire. He was dressed in what looked like police armor, a large brown trench coat, and a helmet with a short snout and red lenses. Jay started to speak, but the man pressed his finger against where his mouth would be. Then he pointed to the road where a large Deathclaw stood menacingly, scanning the area for food, and stretching it's long clawed-fingers.

"AHHHH!" someone screamed, more out of rage then of fear. A large Caucasian figure jumped onto the Deathclaw armed with what looked like a shovel. He landed and was smacking the Deathclaw on the head repeatedly, while the Deathclaw groaned and lashed at him helplessly. Then the man took out a straight razor and shoved it into the center of the Deathclaw's skull. The Deathclaw fell to the ground with a thud, and the man walked away with nothing more then blood on his clothes. He came closer and Jay could see that he hardly wore any armor. His eyes were blue, and he wore a blank gray t-shirt that was torn on one of the shoulders and dark gray cargo pants.

"What the _fuck_!" Jay shouted, "What the Hell was that?" The man didn't answer, but simply turned to the armored man beside Jay and motioned for him to come closer. Jay turned to the left and saw Rosa walking up the road slowly, still holding her stomach, but looked relieved. After what felt like an hour she finally reached them, and sat down beside Jay.

"What'd I miss?" she asked happily.

* * *

**In the ruins of D.C...**

The members of Lyons' Pride gathered around the table in the Great Hall. Sarah smiled, as she was glad to see the familiar faces of the elite team, though they were covered by the helmets they always wore, with the exception of Paladin Vargas and Colvin. Paladin Colvin had lost an eye while retaking the Capital Building and thus removed his helmet. Elder Lyons sat at the far end of the table across from Sarah. Little had changed about Elder Lyons in the five years that came after Project Purity, he remained the same wise, caring man, but his hair had became whiter.

"Elder Lyons," Sarah said, "You wished to speak with us about the western Brotherhood chapters?"

Elder Lyons turned to see his daughter.

"That I did, Sarah," Elder Lyons replied, "We have not made contact with them since I made the decision to protect the people of the Capital Wasteland, precisely thirteen years after we arrived. We must inform them that we have found advanced technology, discovered how the super mutants were being created, and had found the missing Brotherhood airship in Chicago. A small team will be sent to the Mojave Desert, where a Brotherho-"

"Isn't that where Sentinel Jay is?" Captain Dusk interrupted abruptly. "You did send him there a few days ago for that, didn't you?"

"That we did, Captain Dusk," Elder Lyons replied, quietly, "Now, as I was saying the Mojave Desert is where a Brotherhood chapter is located, and we have sent Sentinel Jay to make contact with them. However, I fear his progress will be impeded by his good nature and willingness to help others. That is why we are sending a small team to make contact with the chapter."

"I'm sorry, but perhaps I misunderstand you," Captain Colvin said, "Did you just say that you were unsure of Jay's capabilities?"

"Of course not, Captain Colvin," Elder Lyons said patiently, "Jay's capabilites may be beyond that of several Behemoths, but he still only is human. Think of it as a small reinforcement."

"Okay, so now that we have that figured out," Sarah said quietly, "Who will we be sending, Elder?"

"Well, that is your decision, Sarah, as you suggested we send a team, I believe that it's only right if you choose the team," Elder Lyons finished, smiling at her. He left the room, shutting the door as quietly as possible.

"Alright, I'm gonna need at least two people to come with me," Sarah said, standing up from her chair, "Two people that are comfortable out of armor."

"Um, Sentinel Lyons," Dusk asked nervously, "why do you need people who are comfortable out of armor?"

"Because, _Dawn_, it's a desert and if we go there in armor we'll be cooked alive," she snapped, "Now who is? Stand up, now or I'll choose myself." Captain Colvin and Dusk stood up. Sarah was suprised that Dusk had stood up as she intended to discourage her. "Are you both sure? The path ahead isn't an easy one, and I can't promise you a ride back home."

"Sentinel," Colvin said, turning to Sarah, "we're our own ride back home."

"Be ready by morning," Sarah said quietly, "Dismissed." The rest of Lyons' Pride left the room, and she sunk back into her chair, relieved. She sighed and went back to the bedroom that she and Jay had shared the night before taking back the Jefferson Memorial. Sarah picked up her bag from the corner and started disassembling weapons and gathering her clothes, because she knew that they would be there longer than expected.

* * *

**In the Mojave Desert...**

"Well," Rosa said impressed, "You are one crazy ass motherfucker! I never met someone who had the balls to attack a fully-grown Deathclaw with a shovel! Or jump on it's back either, but it's pretty frickin' cool!"

The man simply nodded, with what Jay thought was supposed to be a smile, but more like a maniacal twitch. Jay looked at the sky and saw that the sun had begun to go down.

"Now," Jay interrupted, " Exactly who are you two?"

The man in the trench coat and police armor removed his helmet. He had normal facial features and a clean cut, but the scar on his right cheek that went downward stood out. His eyes were a piercing brown and looked as if they were scanning.

"I'm Jonathan Flores," the man said, his voice slightly deep, but he sounded young and a little naive, "he's Duke." He pointed at the other man who was cleaning his straight razor from the blood of it's victim.

"I ain't got a last name," the man named Duke stated. His voice was much deeper than Jonathan's and he sounded much older and wiser. "It's getting dark."

"He's right," Jonathan said, "It's better if we stay here there's a campfire and everything around these parts hunt better at night."

Jay agreed and laid down sleeping bags for him and Rosa. Jonathan took off his trench coat and laid it down next to their sleeping bags. Duke had gotten to work on a fire, and was successful within seconds of starting. The four of them sat around the campfire

"I'm gonna go get some food," Duke said.

"Alright, have fun," Jonathan replied.

"So what's with the trench coat?" Jay asked.

Jonathan looked at Jay as if he were stupid and done something a small child would do.

"I'm NCR," he said, "New California Republic, the closest thing to democracy this side of the U.S. The stuff I'm wearing isn't for normal soldiers. It's for Rangers, the best soldiers there are. The time I spent with First Recon proves that I'm one of 'em."

"Hey, I've heard of them!" Rosa interrupted.

"What's First Recon?" Jay asked again.

Jonathan gave him the same look as before and continued.

"First Recon is an elite sniper group handpicked by the superiors," he continued, "They normally choose you if you do well at the shooting range, and it pays a little better, but not as much as what the Rangers get. The slogan was "The last thing you'll ever see." Pretty accurate, and so were we."

"Sounds pretty cool," Rosa said, smiling.

"Sounds like Lyons' Pride of the Brotherhood of Steel," Jay replied, "They're pretty elite and they get handpicked also, and I'm a membe-!"

Jonathan had tackled Jay to the ground. He put Jay in a tough looking hold.

"What the Hell are you doing!" Rosa screamed.

Jonathan ignored her and pulled out a rope. He tied Jay's hands together and pulled him off the ground. He pulled out two black double-action revolvers that said "For Honorable Service" on the barrel and pointed one at Rosa and one at Jay.

"He just said he's Brotherhood!" Jonathan yelled, "They're enemies of NCR, tomorrow I'm taking him in for questioning!"

"What the fuck for?" Rosa demanded, "He hasn't done anything wrong! He barely arrived here the other night!"

"Whatever he's coming with me and I don't give a flying fu-!"

Jay had cut himself out with a small switchblade and punched Jonathan right in the jaw. Jonathan dropped both of his revolvers and punched back, but Jay dodged and dropped the switchblade. Jay punched again, but Jonathan blocked. Jonathan knocked Jay to the ground and attempted to punch him while he was down, but he rolled out of the way. Jay kicked him in the leg and got up. They were far from the campfire and were near a small trailer. Jonathan backed up onto the trailer, and Jay made an attempt to punch him. He dodged to the right and slammed Jay's head onto the trailer. Jay punched Jonathan in the gut and soon both of them were worn out. Rosa slowly walked over to them and kicked Jay in the scrotum and punched Jonathan in the throat.

"Ugh, _men_," Rosa said, sounding disgusted. She walked back to the campfire, proudly.

"I got the food," Duke said blankly, seeing Jay and Jonathan on the dirt in pain, "What happened to you two?"

"Duke," Jonathan said weakly, "Just make the damn food."

Jonathan and Jay got up and walked toward the campfire. Neither of them spoke the rest of the night.

* * *

**The next morning...**

Jay awoke to find himself tied up again. He saw that the fire was out and everything was gone.

"Are you kidding me?" he said.

"Yeah," Jonathan said, "Now if you don't wanna get shot I suggest you get up and start moving to Primm. We'll be heading to Mojave Outpost, that girl and Duke are already well on their way to the Mojave Express. Move it."

"Godammit," Jay thought. He slowly got up careful not to stumble and fall to the ground. "Shit, it's gonna be a long day."

* * *

"Where are they?" Rosa asked, worried, looking back to see if they were behind them.

Duke simply looked at her and continued walking.

"Why don't you ever talk?" she said, defiantly, "I mean you hardly ever spoke since we met, what are you hiding?"

"If there is a need for words, then I shall speak," Duke replied, coldly.

"God, why'd I have to get stuck with the douche?" Rosa thought.

After five or ten minutes the duo reached Primm. They were stopped by a soldier of some sort, his armor said NCR.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, "Don't you know the area is off-limits to civilians?"

"I have to find whoever's in charge of the Mojave Express," Rosa answered, showing the soldier her delivery orders.

"I hope you know what you're doing," he said quietly, "The town is filled with overrun with convicts, and your best bet to find anyone alive would be the casino." He pointed toward the large building to the left of them.

Rosa thanked the soldier and she and Duke continued on their way. Part of the bridge leading into Primm was collapsed on the left side and there were three frag mines on the remaining road. They moved quickly as to not detonate them, and had reached Primm.

* * *

**Gosh, this chapter has been procrastinated on so much. Not much seems to be happening right now but I'm setting the stage for the next chapter. So yeah, more reviews please.**


	8. So Far, Not So Good

**I'm finally friggin' back. I procrastinate with everything and I've been working on original projects also. Hopefully I can get more of these chapters out. I really apologize I don't even remember the last time I legitimately updated so hopefully this makes up for it. Well enjoy the story. R&R.**

* * *

"Who the fuck is shooting at us!" Rosa screamed, firing back blindly with her pistol.

"How the fuck am I supposed to know?" Duke yelled, "All I know is they're dead!" He pulled out his straight razor and ran out from behind the building they used for cover. A barrage of gunfire rained from all directions. Duke quickly ran to the building that looked like it had been blown apart and ran up the stairs.

"Where'd he go?" said a prisoner standing on the roof, with a scoped rifle surveying the area.

"RIGHT HERE" Duke said sadistically, and proceeded to grab the man's skull and then thrust the straight razor into the eye.

"Godammit, it's always the psychos that leave me!" Rosa thought, peeking from cover. A prisoner was running to where she was, she quickly cocked her pistol, aimed and fired three shots.

"Fuckin A'!" the prisoner screamed.

Rosa peeked again from cover and saw that only one shot managed to hit his leg.

"I knew using VATS wasn't a good option," she thought again, then came out of cover only to get tackled by the prisoner.

"Pretty girl to be so alone!" he said. He pinned her onto the ground.

"Oh fuck no!" she spat, she kneed him in the gut, and kicked him off. The prisoner leapt to his feet and threw a punch. Rosa dodged and kicked him in between the legs, hard. He screamed in pain, but he wouldn't scream for long. Rosa had picked up her pistol and forced the barrel onto the prisoner's forehead.

"Any last words?" she asked, "To damn bad." Rosa pulled the trigger, leaving blood splattered on the sidewalk.

Another prisoner walked around the corner and Rosa fired at him. He quickly got into cover behind another building with a dead body in front of it. She heard a scream and the prisoner's body fell to the ground, while Duke walked out from behind the building covered in blood.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Rosa said to herself.

* * *

"Okay, exactly how long is this gonna take really?" Jay asked sarcastically, " It's hot as hell and I'm really hungry"

Jonathan didn't reply, but instead took a sandwich out of his satchel. He motioned it toward Jay, and simply dropped it on the ground.

"No food for war prisoners," Jonathan said coldly.

"Wait, war prisoner?" Jay questioned, "Now, hold on a sec' this is crazy!"

"You're Brotherhood, right?" Jonathan asked. "Then you know about the war between NCR and Brotherhood."

"Oh yeah!" Jay said, remembering Paladin Casdin's opinion of the history of the Brotherhood.

"Almost there, get quiet," Jonathan commanded. They came across an old gas station, and loud clicking noises began. Several giant Radscorpions were pincing their claws, and were coming at the duo quickly.

"Gonna need more than one gun for this, bud!" Jay said quickly.

"Get yourself out!" Jonathan replied, pulling out one of the black revolvers.

"Fine, fuckface!" Jay yelled, using a trick he had learned from Sydney in Rivet City and got out of the ropes. He checked both of his holsters and his bag and remembered he had been stripped of weapons while asleep. "Gonna need a gun here!"

"Godammit!" Jonathan tossed the other black revolver to him.

Jay caught it and both of them fired at the Radscorpions, one by one they began to fall, but one had managed to catch Jonathan's arm with its pincers. He screamed in pain and the Radscorpions tail slowly began to rise ready to strike. With perfectly calculated precision Jay fired a shot and the tail tore out from its socket. As it died the pincers grip on Jonathan's arm to reveal a gash bleeding profusely. He pulled out a Stimpak and injected it into his arm, and wrapped bandages around the wound. They both walked up a hill where two large statues stood.

"I figure you're gonna need this back," Jay said, holding the revolver, "You owe me one after that."

"I guess I do," Jonathan replied, "what do you want?"

"It would be nice if you didn't take me in as a 'prisoner of war'," Jay said sarcastically, "Where did your friend and Rosa go?"

"Alright, I'll agree with that after you saved my life," Jonathan said, "His name's Duke if you don't remember, and they went straight to Primm. What did this Rosa go through?"

"She was shot in the head, and amazingly, survived perfectly fine. She's looking for the guy who did it, but the most we can get on the guy is that he wears a checkerboard suit."

"I've seen that guy before, name's Benny and he runs the Tops in the Strip."

"Pretty strange for a guy running a casino to be so far out in the desert," Jay thought.

They passed by trucks loaded with broken motorcycles and finally had reached the top of the hill. The two statues towered over the duo.

"This marks the unification of the NCR and the Desert Rangers of Nevada," Jonathan explained.

"They're shaking hands," Jay said, "Maybe one day that will be NCR and the Brotherhood."

Jonathan chuckled lightly. They opened a gate and walked into the building on the right. A man with a greenish beret stood behind a desk holding clipboard and scanning it's contents. He looked up and spoke to them.

"What can I do for ya, Jon?" he asked.

"Nothing right now, Major Knight," Jonathan replied kindly, "Is Cass in today?"

"Still in the barracks," Major Knight said, "At the bar as always."

"What about Ranger Jackson?" he asked.

"He's here somewhere," Knight replied, "And I keep telling you Jon she needs to go to a therapist, not a soldier on the front lines."

Jonathan shrugged and walked out of the room alongside Jay.

"Who's Cass?" Jay asked.

"Rose of Sharon Cassidy, a caravan owner who's caravan had been destroyed recently," Jonathan explained, "she's been trying to get out of the caravan business, but drinking away her sorrows isn't helping."

"I can relate," Jay replied, quietly.

"Where's Dogmeat?" he thought.

* * *

"That's a good boy!" Rosa said patting Dogmeat on the head. He licked her hand affectionately in response.

"Where'd the dog come from?" Duke asked.

"I dunno, really," she explained, "he kinda disappeared during the fight earlier and came back spontaneously."

"Tha's strange," Duke thought.

The two of them entered a building that was called The Vikki & Vance Casino, and were met with guns aimed at them.

"Again?" she said, "C'mon this is getting really old!"

"Oh sorry, thought you were one of the gangsters," one of the townsfolk said lowering his pistol. He was wearing blue overalls and a worn button down shirt. "Name's Johnson Nash, and I run the Mojave Express here in Primm."

"Wait, Mojave Express?" Rosa interrupted, she rummaged in her pockets for the delivery order and showed it to Johson, "I was supposed to deliver this."

He looked over it quickly, and his eyes widened with suprise.

"Ms. Velasquez?" he asked.

She nodded in response, and he handed her a leather wallet with the symbol on her necklace embedded onto the leather. The symbol was a circle with a single line splitting the bottom and top halves of each other. The top half had a small symbol of the Old World, and the bottom with a small circle with three lines with arrows at the end pointing inward of the circle.

"Oh, God," she gasped.

* * *

Jonathan and Jay entered the barracks where Cass was. They found her, a red haired girl wearing jeans, a button down plaid shirt, and a leather jacket. She was sipping a whiskey bottle, and three other bottles stood next to where she sat on the bar.

"What do you want now Jon?" Cass said spitefully, "Got another follower to sacrifice for the 'greater good' again?"

Jonathan ignored the remark and sat next to her, and Jay hesitantly, if not reluctantly, sat next to her on the other side.

"Sacrifice?" Jay thought, he looked at Jonathan and he looked slightly ashamed of himself. "I'll ask him about it later."

"Cass, when are you gonna finally get out of here?" Jonathan asked quietly, "You keep saying you want to leave but it's more like you're just wasting time drinking when you could be out there doing something about your caravan."

"Why do you care so much?" Cass asked, her voice rising.

Jonathan looked down in shame and looked at her with an apologetic glare. Cass glared back and simply went back to drinking. Jay thought quickly and found a way to get her out of this state.

"Uh, Cass?" Jay said, breaking the eerie silence.

"Who the Hell are you?" Cass said.

"Jay Stahl, the 'sacrifice'," Jay replied sarcastically, "I'll make a bargain with you."

"I'm listening," she replied anxiously.

"If I win in a drinking contest with you have to leave Mojave Outpost."

"And if I win?"

"Then you get all the whiskey you want on me."

"Deal."

"Jay can I speak to you a second?" Jonathan interrupted, Jay sat in the seat next to him. "Are you crazy? She drinks on almost a daily basis, how are you gonna pull this off?"

"Not like I have a choice now," Jay said, embarassingly, "Rosa had the bag with all the caps, and you ain't got shit on you."

"Wait, what?" Jonathan said, stunned, "When did you?"

"Bartender!" Jay called, "20 whiskeys!"

* * *

"Sarah?" Paladin Dusk said, her hand on Sarah's soldier, "We're almost there."

"Hm?" Sarah woke, her eyelids opening lazily.

"Best to get ready now," Colvin said quietly, Sarah thought he looked very different from when he was in armor to now. He wore black combat pants and a bulletproof vest with a knife holster on the shoulder and a pistol holster underneath the arm.

Paladin Dusk seemed very uncomfortable out of armor. She was wearing black combat pants, a blue shirt with the Brotherhood symble sowed onto the right arm sleeve, and a combat vest with a holster for a pistol and her sniper rifle. She shifted side to side uncomfortably, trying to decide which side of the seat was more comfortable.

Sarah wore dark blue combat pants, a jet blue shirt with the Lyons' Pride symbol sowed on the front, a black leather jacket with the imprint of a lion on the back and a rifle and pistol holster.

"Sentinel Lyons!" the pilot called, "The area is to dark to land I'm gonna set you down by these two searchlights on a hill there's two large statues at the top, also. I'd recommend heading up there until morning."

"Thank you," Sarah said.

The vertibird slowly landed onto the road, and Dusk, Colvin, and Sarah got off with their packs and started the walk up the hill.

* * *

**I didn't want to end it then and there, but this has been really delayed and I didn't want to keep you people waiting forever. So review please, and Happy Late New Years! **


	9. Beasts of America

**Sorry this didn't get out sooner, but I'm happy to see it out, after a long, LONG while. Hope you guys enjoy, I did for the most part. Except for some things. R & R please.**

* * *

Jay woke in the NCR barracks to see Sarah sitting on his bedside, with a disappointed look on her face.

"Hi!" Jay said a wide grin on his face, when'd you get here, or am I just dreaming again?

"Hi?" Sarah questioned, "You do a drinking contest and then pass out as I walk through the door, and the most you can say is hi?"

"Yeah," Jay said, "what about it?"

"God, you're oblivious," Sarah replied, "start getting ready, we're going to leave soon. A Ranger told that one guy, Jon, to investigate why a town called Nipton has been so quiet lately. Also, I won't be going with you, I'll be heading to Primm with Colvin and Dusk."

"They're here also?" he asked.

"Who else would haul you into bed?" she said.

"Your mother" Jay replied, and got out of bed.

"Not your best comeback."

"If I wanted my come back I would've wiped it off your face the other night."

SLAP!

"Don't mention our sex lives to the audience!"

"What sex life?"

"Are you guys done hugging and kissing or whatever the hell it is?" Jonathan asked, opening the door.

"Just about," Jay replied, grabbing all his weapons which were also at the side of his bed.

Jay greeted the other Brotherhood Paladin and left, as he and Jon made their way to Nipton.

"Hey, hold up!" Cass yelled, carrying her bag as she ran up to them.

"Cass, what are you doing?" Jon asked, slightly surprised. "Thought you didn't feel like leaving."

"Leaving, obviously," Cass said, she turned to Jay, "you seem like someone who can get things done, and that's certainly someone I'm going to need, now let's be on our way."

"Alright, then," Jay said, albeit awkwardly.

"God, he's such a butt sometimes!" Sarah said angrily, "He forgot to say bye to me!"

"Wow, I didn't know you were _that _kind of girlfriend," Paladin Dusk said, "you forgot he hates goodbyes, huh?

"He never told me that," Sarah replied, "When did he say that?"

"At the Christmas party, last year," Paladin Colvin said, "when you got angry at him for leaving Megaton for finishing things."

"Basically, he said that he hates goodbyes, because he knows that he's going to see you later," Dusk explained.

"Well, I learned something new about him," Sarah said.

"And you two have been dating for how long?" Colvin asked.

"Two years," Sarah said, slightly sad, "well, we should be on our way now, let's go."

"Been waiting for you to say that, boss lady," Dusk said.

And without another word they made their way towards Primm.

* * *

"Alright, so what is it that you want me to do, Cass?" Jay asked.

"I'll tell you once we pass by, where you guys heading anyways?" Cass asked in reply.

"Nipton, but we're coming straight ba-," Jon said.

"Well, I'm heading to New Vegas to see Vault 21," Jay interrupted.

"See, may as well help out," Cass said, "least I can do after giving the NCR so much booze trouble."

They had made it to the entrance to Nipton, and noticed the fires and crucifixes.

"Jon, you and Cass go set up a snipers position in those hills to the right," Jay said, "take my bag, give me the knife, hunting rifle and pistol in there."

"Yessum," Cass said, taking his bag and handing him what he asked for.

"Be careful, man," Jon said, then both he and Cass ran up the hill, weapons ready.

Jay was about to walk into the town when he felt something lick his hand, and it turned out to be none other than Dogmeat.

"Hey, boy, you know you have a really bad habit of going off to places, and forgetting to tell people?" he said, happily, "it's nice to have you here for this, remember when we did this kinda thing?"

Dogmeat barked in reply, and shook his tail.

"Alright, let's do this buddy," Jay said, loading Ol' Painless. He put it in the holster on his back, and slowly walked in with Dogmeat at his side. As they ventured deeper into the town, they found Powder Ganfers crucified along with other townsfolk. They reached the center of town where eleven men walked out with spears and dogs. Only was different from the other and he wore a wolves pelt over his head.

"Who are you?" the man asked, his voice low, but evil-sounding at best, "but before you answer that my name is Vulpes Inculta, of the Legion."

"Just passing through," Jay replied, ignoring his question and watching the man's every move, including those around them.

"Do you understand why this happened?" he asked.

"No, but I don't need one to put a bullet in your head," Jay said, pulling out his pistol.

* * *

"What is he doing?" Jon said, panicked, "Does he have any idea what he's getting into?"

"His girlfriend said he's been in plenty of situations like this before," Cass said, "I think he'll be fine.

"I hope so, Cass," Jon thought, "I hope so."

* * *

"Ahh, I see how it is now," Vulpes said, spotting the Brotherhood symbol on Jay's armor, "your brotherhood will join us soon, and we all shall see the cleansing of this land, in a new image, the Legion's image." 

"Yeah," Jay chuckled, remembering the Pitt's leader, Ashur, who said something similar, "well, the world doesn't work that way, it didn't before, and it certainly won't now."

"You will see," Vulpes said, "one day, after all of you are under our thrall."

Dogmeat started growling and barking at the other dogs and they barked back fiercely.

"You don't seem to be around from this place," Vulpes said, "as right now you should be fearful, or rather pleased."

"And why would I be pleased?" Jay said.

"Because this town has been cleansed."

"Man, this guy has got to be some righteous thinking asshole," Jay thought, "Cleansing the town my ass. But oh well, he's gonna be gone in a little."

"Do you have any more questions to why we are here?" Vulpes asked, rather impatiently.

"Yeah," Jay said, "how fast do you guys drop?"

He reached for his knife, while Dogmeat charged at Vulpes. There was a loud gunshot and one of the men fell, Jon was getting comfortable with the situation. Vulpes stood there, expecting this sudden aggression. Dogmeat pounced ready to tear out his throat. He outstretched his arm and caught Dogmeat by the throat when he was a foot away from him. Jay paralyzed at this, since seeing the horror of what happened to the town, he could only imagine what was going to happen next.

"Let this be a lesson to you, boy," Vulpes said, his grip tightening on Dogmeat's throat, "don't wield your knife like a man, and your mouth like a child, it will only grant you misery and suffering."

Without another word, he pulled out his weapon, a Ripper. He flipped the switch on, while Dogmeat whined in fear. Jay was horrified at thought, his first true friend in the Capital Wasteland, the one who stood by him through everything, his father's death, his coma, Sarah's coma, the Air Force Base, the list went on, was about to be killed by some stranger they had just met, and as he thought about this, he found himself in a situation in which he had no idea what to do.

"NO!" Jay yelled, "DON'T DO IT! PLEASE!"

* * *

"Oh my God, Jon!" Cass said, "What are you doing?! Take the goddamn shot!"

Jon only laid there, staring down the scope, shocked at what was happening.

* * *

"Too late," Vulpes said, coldly, almost completely void of any emotion, "but children need to be taught."

He shoved the Ripper right into Dogmeat's ribcage, effectively tearing the flesh and bones apart, cutting into the major organs and arteries, then Vulpes tore the Ripper out of Dogmeat, still holding him by the throat. Dogmeat cried in pain, but used Vulpes' lack of attention to bite his arm, making him let go of Dogmeat.

"Oh you're so," Jay said quietly, coldly, as void as Vulpes sounded, "fucking dead. This is gonna be fun."

Jay charged without a single thought in his mind. The men with guns started firing upon him, all managing to miss, due to simple misguided fear of what the man charging at them with only a knife was thinking of doing to them. The others threw spears, and their mongrels charged as well. One of the men hit Jay in the torso with a spear. Jay simply ripped it out and shoved it into the nearest dogs' snout, then tore it out again. He threw the spear back, at the man and saw it go through his chest. He stabbed the next mongrel in the skull, and threw his knife at the other. Jon shot and killed the rest of the men and only Vulpes remained. Jay took a machete of one of the men. Vulpes smiled.

"Good to know that even the most fucked up people in the world have some kind of emotion in them," Jay said, spitting out blood.

"You say that to me," Vulpes said, "and yet you are completely defiant to what you have just do-."

"Oh, I know what I did to them," Jay said, "but not with you, anyways."

Jay jumped onto Vulpes, knocking the Ripper out of his hand. Vulpes punched at him, but Jay sliced hand off at first glance. Then Jay shoved the machete into Vulpes' other hand, effectively staking him into the ground. Vulpes didn't cry in pain, but simply watched. Jay got off of him, grabbed two spears and wrapped them together off some leftover rope from the crucifixes. He shoved it into the ground in front of the building.

Jay turned toward Vulpes and glared at him. He knew it wouldn't faze him, he was already devoid of humanity, but he still did it to show exactly how much he wanted him dead. Jay walked over to where Vulpes laid, their cruel glares met, and for once Jay found something he couldn't understand. He grabbed the machete and tore it out of the ground, and Vulpes' hand. Jay kneeled down next to him and looked at Vulpes again, he understood what was going to happen, but he did nothing, nothing save himself from this fate, just nothing. He raised the machete and starting cutting Vulpes' head off. With each chop he felt the blood splash onto his face, he didn't care, at this rate, there was nothing he could think of. When only the skin at the other edge remained, Jay ripped it off and took it to the makeshift pike in front of the building.

"Let this be a lesson to your Legion," Jay said, shoving the decapitated head of Vulpes onto the pike.

He only stared at what he did and went into silent reflection over what had happened. After doing so, he quickly dashed to Dogmeat's side. To his surprise his companion was still breathing. He placed his hands over the wound to slow the process, but the bleeding couldn't be stopped, not without proper stitching and operation, something that was truly impossible to find at the current time.

"Godammit!" he shouted, "Why did this have to happen buddy?! Why did I have to get cocky about this!? I'm so sorry, Dogmeat, I'm so sorry!" He laid his head down upon Dogmeat, frustrated. Dogmeat only whimpered and licked at Jay's hands, sadly. "I guess this was our last ride, buddy." He thought about all the good moments they had together, receiving the keys to their home in Megaton, Dogmeat marking his territory on the front porch to Jay's frustration, Jay and Sarah's first kiss, which was interrupted by Dogmeat, as Sarah put it "wanting to get some," and lastly the Brotherhood's first Christmas.

Dogmeat's passing was slow, but when it happened, Jay cried, quietly but enough that it wasn't unnoticed. It was at this time that Jon and Cass had came back from the "sniper's nest."

"Sorry, kid," Cass said, patting Jay on the back, "I know he meant a lot to you, and I can't say I understand the feeling."

"Jay," Jon said, quietly, "I'm sorry I didn't take the shot."

"Its fine," Jay responded, wiping the tears off his face, emotionless, "let's just get back to the outpost, but just wait for a little while first. I need to make a grave."

"So you're the one we've heard all about!" Rosa said to Sarah, "You must be a right lucky girl for scoring a guy like Jay! You have to give me ALL the details!"

"They're like regular best friends," Colvin teased with Dusk.

"Uh, yeah," Sarah said, slightly annoyed, "can we just go back to the outpost now?"

"Of course," Rosa continued, "but first we need to take care of a little business in the casino, they got a little hostage situation in the-"

"I'll take care of it," Duke said, "just continue on, I'll meet you there."

"Well that settles that then!" Rosa said, excitedly, "now since it's gonna be a while until you get there why don't you start telling me the story?"

Sarah looked at the other Paladins grimly, and they smirked back.

Jay finished digging the grave, and took the bag that had Dogmeat's body into his arms. He gently laid it into the ground, he grabbed the spade and started to bury Dogmeat. More tears ran down his face as he was saying goodbye to his companion after five long years of friendship. When he finished he only looked down at it.

"Needs a stone," he thought, "he deserves to remembered."

Jay grabbed the biggest rock he could find, and started carving words into it with his knife. It wasn't easy, Sarah probably could have done a better job, but he did his best. The stone read:

_Here lies the greatest dog a man could ever ask for, Dogmeat._

"…and that's how Jay and I ended up together," Sarah finished, exhausted by Rosa's many and practically infinite amount of questions.

"Oh, how romantic!" Rosa squealed, "Hey, we finally reached the outpost, and look! There's Jay! Why's he so gloomy? Wait a sec, where's Dogmeat run off to?" She called out to Jay about Dogmeat, and he only glared at her coldly. "Why's there a stick up his ass?" she thought.

They all continued up the hill together, conversing about the events, but Jon and Cass were casually dodging all the questions they had about Nipton, simply stating, "when the time comes, Jay will tell you," specifically to Sarah, who asked the most about it, other than Rosa who they casually ignored.

Rosa was upset at this, but dismissed it as it was their business and not hers. She noticed that Dogmeat wasn't alongside them, and assumed the worst.

* * *

**Yay for breaking the fourth wall! Expect that more from Rosa and Sarah and the other folk, but not as much from Jay, may or may not do it. Next chapter will be pure recap over events that happened before and up to now and speculation of future things. Goodnight to you all.**


	10. Reconstruction

**Alright, tenth chapter finally out after a year! I'm really sorry, but I've just been really busy with school, and I actually forgot to upload this for a while, oops! But here's the chapter! Hope you all enjoy it, read and review and there will be a little note at the end.**

* * *

"The only other time he's been like this is when he lost his father in Project Purity," Sarah said quietly, hoping the others wouldn't over hear the conversation. After they had reached the outpost, Jay immediately ordered a scotch, gulped the whole bottle down, and had another, and another, and another.

"And you already told me all about Project Purity," Rosa continued, "maybe he's calmed down by now. You should talk to him!"

"No, I think it'd be better if we just let him rest for now," Sarah replied, "It's been a long day."

"Alright, well, whatever you say, lady!" Rosa said, "I'm gonna go bunk with Colvin, who may I say is pretty good looking!"

Colvin and Dusk followed Rosa, leaving Sarah alone at the bar. Both Jon and Cass went straight to the barracks when they arrived.

Sarah rolled her eyes, but still giggled at the comment.

"She's a funny girl, that's for sure," she thought, "I should check on him."

She got out of her chair, and left a tip for the bartender.

"Hey, ma'am?" the bartender asked.

"Yes?" Sarah replied, surprised.

"Are you going to go see how your boy is doing?"

"Uh, yeah I actually I am."

"Goddamn it Rosa," Sarah thought, "Why do you have to talk so fucking loud?"

"Well, you might want to look for him in the main building," Lacey continued, "he walked right past both of you when you were talking."

"Oh, well thanks for that, uhm," Sarah said, struggling to remember the bartenders name.

"Lacey and it's no problem, hon," Lacey said, grinning, "you have a good night and be safe now!"

"Thanks, and you too, Lacey!" Sarah replied, happily.

She left the bar and headed to the main building. Sarah could hear Rosa's drunk giggling in the background. She rolled her eyes again, before opening the door to the building. Jay walked right past her, not even bothering to look who he just cut off.

"Jay!" Sarah called out.

Jay didn't reply, but he continued walking down the road. Sarah followed in suit.

"Jay!" she called again.

No reply.

"James Stahl Jr. don't you walk away from me!"

He stopped.

"The guy in there," Jay said, coldly, "Ranger Jackson, asked if I could clear out the road for caravans to come through. Feel free to tag along."

"Okay!" Sarah replied, startled.

"C'mon, then."

They both continued down the ridge to the road where the caravans were blocked. Giant ants crawled through the debris of the road, clicking their pincers loudly.

"Alright," Jay said, breaking the silence, "let's get to work, shall we?"

Jay pulled out a machete he obtained from one of the Legion soldiers earlier that day, and Sarah took out her pistol.

Jay slashed through the abdomen of one of the soldier ants, and Sarah shot the other in the head. He threw the machete at one of the workers ants and hit it right in between the pincers. Sarah shot the other two and their heads splattered onto the floor.

"That's all of them," Sarah sighed, she reloaded her gun and holstered it.

Jay took the machete out of the ants head and threw it to the floor. He stared out towards the smoke coming from Nipton.

"Y'know, in the Old World, they had a company named Nipton," Sarah said, breaking Jay's concentration, "Nipton or Lipton, I can't remember too well, and they made stuff like tea. And according to one of the holotapes that the Pride found in D.C. it apparently really sucked."

"Wouldn't doubt it," Jay chuckled. He looked at Sarah apologetically.

"It's alright," she said, grabbing his hand, "I get what you're going through, sort of. You know I'm not good at talking with people about stuff, and I never really tried. I loved Dogmeat as much as you did-"

Jay opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.

"-and if you're going to ask how I knew. The only other time your eyes were like that was when your father died."

"Someone's observant," Jay replied, sadly, "I knew Dogmeat's time was coming soon, but I never thought it would come so," he paused, "violently. I can't even begin to describe it. He was stabbed with a ripper. A fucking ripper! I think you can guess what happened to Dogmeat after that."

"Oh my God," Sarah said, startled, "I never thought that would happen to him, I was hoping that he'd meet a nice girl dog, and have puppies and die peacefully in his sleep, but not like that!"

"You say some of the strangest things," Jay said, "it may have been really dark, but I'm glad you came with me."

"Me too," Sarah said, smiling, "now c'mon, let's go back, you need your rest for tomorrow."

"Wait!" a voice called out to them in the darkness.

"Who's there?" Sarah called, pulling out her pistol. Jay turned on the Pip-Boy light.

"It's me," Duke said, walking into the light with his hands raised. His eyes widened at the sight of the ant corpses. "Somebody's been having fun here."

"Oh alright," Sarah said, "I think everyone forgot about you for a little while, honestly."

"It's easy to forget anyone," he said coldly. He took out a flashlight from his pocket and started walking up the road. "I'll tell you all the events of my day at dawn tomorrow, until then have a good night."

"Good to know someone isn't completely heartless," Sarah thought, she nodded to Jay and holstered her pistol again.

"C'mon let's go," she said to Jay, grabbing his hand, "it's been a long day, and tomorrow will be even longer."

"Yeah, you're right," Jay said, quietly. He squeezed her hand lightly, and started walking with her back to the outpost.

_The next morning…._

"C'mon people!" Sarah yelled, "Wake up, and get your asses out of bed, we're leaving in a little while!"

"We barely got here, Sentinel," Colvin groaned, rubbing his eyelids, "can't we just stay here a few more days?"

"No, Colvin," Sarah said, stonily, "I don't know if you can recall we have a mission to carry out and we're going to do it. Are there any more objections?"

"No, ma'am," Dusk said, quietly, strapping her boots on. "It'd be best if we got moving now."

"That's the spirit!" Sarah said, cheerily.

"Hold," Duke said, "I need to explain the Primm's predicament."

"Alright," Sarah said, surprised. Duke nodded.

"The gangsters that were holed up in the casino are taken care of," he explained, "the bigger problem is who is going to watch over the town. The sheriff was killed in the attack, and Deputy Beagle is too much of a pussy to take charge of his town. We either need to get the NCR to deploy more troops to the area so they can hold it as a strategic position on the Long 15 or we can get someone with experience from the correctional facility a short while from here. What does everyone think?"

"Can't have both watch over the town?" Jon said, "It may be a small town, but there are plenty of ways another group of gangsters could get into the town."

"May be true, but we don't even know where this correctional facility is," Sarah replied, "how are we supposed to find where the place is?"

Almost on cue, a man wearing a green beret and NCR armor walked into the room.

"Major Knight," he said, "and I can mark it on the map of those two Pip-Boys if you're interested in doing so."

"Since when did the NCR start giving out handouts, Major?" Jon said, sarcastically.

"Since that Brotherhood kid saved your life," Knight replied, "and cleared out the road for our caravans to pass through. I figure I owe them that much, I don't think Ten of Spades would appreciate if you died either." He tossed the map to Sarah. "Best to start getting your weapons ready, it might be a tough fight. It's been the Powder Gangers stronghold since they took it."

"The man we're looking for is named Meyers," Duke replied, "know anything about him?"

"Took justice into his own hands," Knight explained. "We were going to release him, but due to the uprising, we weren't able to."

"Alright," Jay said, "I'll go there and fi-"

"That wouldn't be the best idea," Knight interrupted, "the Powder Gangers would probably have heard about what you and the courier did at Goodsprings by now like I did. It'd be better if some of the other people in your group go for the ride. They didn't catch the major details of them, so if you all go in with a disguise, then ya'll might be able to slip in, as well as Ms. Courier over there. I'll give you a picture so you know who you're looking for."

"Maybe Rosa, Jon, and Duke can take care of this one," Sarah said suddenly, hoping to avoid Rosa's constant barrage of questions of her relationship with Jay.

"I guess the Brotherhood will be taking the troops then," Jon said, "so much irony in that statement."

"That's true," Major Knight replied, "do you have a change of clothes or armor to hide the insignia?"

"Why don't we give them some of the spare ranger clothes we have in the back?" Jon said.

"I'll go with the Brotherhood folk," Cass said interrupting Jon, "could use a change in company."

"Alright it's settled, then," Knight said, "the courier, Jon, and Duke will go to the correctional facility, and everyone else will be heading to Primm. Oh, and before I forget, you should take a shortcut to Novac, since you're heading in that direction anyways."

He took Jay's arm and slid a disc inside of the Pip-Boy. While he did that, Rosa held her arm out eagerly.

"Alrighty, people," Jay said, "we all got our jobs to do let's get ready for them!"

"Jay?" Major Knight said suddenly.

"Yes, Major?"

"Have this," Knight replied, handing him a shaving kit, "you look like you need it right now."

"Oh, well thank you, sir." Jay was grateful, but somewhat felt insulted. He had grown proud of the way his hair was, but he figured he may as well cut it.

"If there's any time for something new, it's always now," he thinks.

He walked back to the barracks, past where the company was loading, cleaning, and trading weapons. He spotted Jon looking at his trench knife on the table fondly.

"If you want that, go ahead and take it," he smiled. Jon nodded gratefully and took the knife gingerly into his hands. He swung it in a few times, just to get the feel for it.

Jay continued to the barracks with the shaving kit. The barracks were nearly empty, save for some NCR soldiers who were sleeping from patrolling the night before. He walked into the bathroom, and placed the shaving kit onto the counter.

"Shit," Jay thought, "it really isn't that bad." His hair had grown little, it still swept over his forehead, and however, he had begun to grow some stubble on his chin and sideburns. He opened the kit and grabbed the shaving cream to apply to his face. He did so, and took the razor, which was a straight razor, and raised it to his face. He remembered when Duke had killed the Deathclaw with a straight razor and shuddered at the thought, but nonetheless continued. He placed the blade just above his left cheek and slowly ran it down.

"Ah, fuck me!" he groaned. He had cut the side of his cheek slightly. It was a rather large incision, running down the length of his cheek, and was bleeding profusely. He quickly finished shaving the rest of his face, carefully, and applied pressure to the cut.

"30 seconds," he thought, "just 30 seconds and its done bleeding." Remembering what his father had taught him about small cuts and bruises. He took his hand off the cut and checked to see if it was still bleeding. It had stopped, and his hand was covered in blood. Jay shuddered, remembering not even a day ago had Dogmeat's blood been on his hand before. He shrugged the thought off and continued with what he was doing. He cleaned the area around the cut with a clothe in the kit dabbed in alcohol, which was also in the kit. After the sting from the alcohol wore off, he took the scissors and started to cut his hair. It was back to the clean cut he had a few years back. He put everything back into the kit, and walked back outside.

"You look exactly the way you did when we met," Sarah said, swinging her arms around his neck to kiss him.

"Yeah, well, I feel younger that's for sure," Jay replied jokingly, "does everyone already have their gear ready?"

"Pretty much," Jon said, "but we put your stuff together, don't worry."

"Thanks, a lot," Jay continued, "alright, well, everyone we got our shit together, let's go!"

* * *

**During the downtime between writing this chapter and everything else, I've just been thinking about rewriting this story. It's not that I'm bored with it or anything, I'd just like to put better story elements into it, and this really was an amateur writing story. You can see little gaps in the writing style and I've grown as a writer since I started this. I'd love to improve this story, without changing what it is, of course. I think I'll leave this story up for a while, until I complete a rewritten version of the first, then I'll take it off. Until then readers! Read and review, good day**


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